Conveyor system

ABSTRACT

A conveyor system for transporting at least one linear entry stream of a product into exit streams of the product which are laterally offset in relation to the entry stream. The conveyor system is provided with two successive conveyor units whose adjacent downstream or upstream ends can be displaced in opposite directions in relation to each other transversely to the direction of transport.

The invention relates to a conveyor system for the transferring of atleast one linear inlet stream of food products such as sausage, ham,cheese and the like successively sliced at high speed, and preferablystacked, into at least one outlet stream, which is laterally offset withrespect to the inlet stream, while using a plurality of conveyor unitsarranged in series and each serving as a product support.

Conveyor systems of this kind are generally known, for example from U.S.Pat. No. 5,209,339, and are in practical use in large numbers. Adistribution apparatus is known from U.S. Pat. No. 5,944,165 having acontinuous product support and adjustable lateral guides with whichproducts to be distributed are displaced relative to the product supporton the continuous product support with a component transverse to theconveyor direction. EP 0 274 229 A2 describes a conveyor system in whichthe products are transferred from a conveyor having a stationaryupstream end, whose downstream end is movable transversely to theconveyor direction, to a following conveyor of larger width.

It is the object of the present invention to substantially increase theoperating speed, and thus the capacity of the conveyor system. It shouldmoreover be achieved that, where possible, no forces which impair and/orchange the stack shape act on the conveyed products or product stacksduring the conveyor process.

This object is satisfied in accordance with the invention by thefeatures of claim 1 and substantially by a one part or multi-part firstconveyor unit for the reception of the products sliced by means of aslicer, by a second conveyor unit adjoining it which has a larger widthin comparison with the first conveyor unit and whose upstream productsupport end is movable and pivotable transversely to the conveyordirection and relative to the downstream product support end of thefirst conveyor unit, and by a third conveyor unit which is arrangedadjoining the stationary downstream product support end of the secondconveyor unit.

A particularly advantageous embodiment of the invention is characterizedin that the first conveyor unit consists of two successive part conveyorunits, with both the downstream product support end of the downstreamsecond part conveyor unit and the adjoining upstream product support endof the second part conveyor unit being made movable or pivotabletransversely to the conveyor direction.

In accordance with a further embodiment of the invention, it is providedthat two successive part conveyor units are provided, with the upstreampart conveyor unit being a part of the first conveyor unit and thedownstream part conveyor unit forming the second conveyor unit, and withboth the downstream product support end of the first part conveyor unitand the adjoining upstream product support end of the second partconveyor unit being made movable or pivotable transversely to theconveyor direction.

It is possible to pivot the individual part conveyor unit at low speeddue to the interplay of these two part conveyor units and to theirpivoting in opposite senses, since the pivot movements in oppositesenses add up with respect to the desired product offset so that anincrease in the operating speed is nevertheless possible, on the onehand, and irritating transverse accelerations on the products areavoided, on the other hand.

Further advantageous aspects of the invention are specified in thedependent claims.

Embodiments of the invention will be explained with reference to thedrawing; there are shown in the drawing:

FIGS. 1a to 1 c schematic plan views of a conveyor system in differentoperating conditions; and

FIGS. 2a to 2 c a second preferred embodiment of the invention in theform of plan views of a conveyor system at different operating times.

FIG. 1 shows a slicer, in particular a slicer for the slicing of foodproducts, with a high or very high slice sequence.

A first conveyor unit 1 is disposed after the slicer 10, with associatedportion forming unit, for the transporting away of the sliced products,e.g. in the form of stacks 9, and for the transferring of these productson to a subsequent second conveyor unit.

An arrangement is shown in the drawing in which successive productstacks 9 are formed; however, it is also possible to work with a slicer10 by means of which at least two products can be sliced in paralleland, accordingly, parallel product streams also arise.

A second conveyor unit 2 follows the first conveyor unit 1 and is madewider than the first conveyor unit 1 transversely to the conveyordirection and its upstream end 4 is made movable or pivotabletransversely to the conveyor direction. This second conveyor unit 2 isfollowed by a third conveyor unit 3 which directly adjoins thestationary downstream end of the second conveyor unit and on whichoutlet product streams can be produced directly in dependence on thecontrolling of the pivotable upstream end 4 of the second conveyor unit2.

In the embodiment shown, the serially supplied product stacks 9 arepositioned pair-wise next to one another on the third conveyor unit 3 inaccordance with FIGS. 1b and 1 c which show the upstream end 4 of thesecond conveyor unit 2 in the two possible extreme positions.

FIGS. 2a to 2 c show a preferred embodiment of the invention whichdiffers from the conveyor system described above in that the secondconveyor unit has been replaced by two part conveyor units 5, 6, withthe upstream part conveyor unit 5 having a lower width than thefollowing part conveyor unit 6 and both the downstream end 7 of thisfirst part conveyor unit and the directly adjoining upstream end 8 ofthe second part conveyor unit 6 being made movable and/or pivotabletransversely to the conveyor direction and in opposite senses to oneanother.

To achieve a lateral offset of a product stack 9 during the conveyorprocess, the downstream end 7 of the first part conveyor unit and theupstream end 8 of the second part conveyor unit 6 are moved in oppositesenses to one another, with these paths being added with respect to theproduct offset. As a consequence of this, an increase in the operatingspeed of the total system can be achieved, on the one hand, and it canbe ensured, on the other hand, that the lateral forces acting on theproduct stacks 9 are kept low, since the individual movements of thepart conveyor units 5, 6 can be kept lower due to the speed additionthan would be possible without the presence of such part conveyor units.

The individual conveyor units are preferably designed as so-calledmulti-element strip conveyors which are generally known. The transversemovements of the respective ends of the conveyor units can be rampcontrolled so that start and end of a transverse movement do not takeplace abruptly.

What is claimed is:
 1. A conveyor system for transferring at least onelinear inlet stream of food products successively sliced at high speedinto at least one outlet stream, which is laterally offset with respectto the inlet stream, while using a plurality of conveyor units arrangedin series and each serving as a product support, the conveyor systemcomprising first conveyor unit formed by at least one first partconveyor for the reception of the products sliced by means of a slicer;a second conveyor unit adjoining the first conveyor unit which has agreater width in comparison with a width of the first conveyor unit andwhose upstream product support end is movable transversely to theconveyor direction and relative to a downstream product support end ofthe first conveyor unit; and a third conveyor unit which is arrangedadjoining a stationary downstream product support end of the secondconveyor unit.
 2. A conveyor system in accordance with claim 1 whereinthe first conveyor unit comprises adjoining first and second, upstreamand downstream, respectively, successive part conveyor units, adownstream product support end of the downstream second part conveyorunit and an adjoining upstream product support end of the secondconveyor unit being movable transversely to a conveying direction of theconveyor units.
 3. A conveyor system in accordance with claim 1comprising first and second, upstream and downstream, respectively,successive part conveyor units, the upstream part conveyor unit being apart of the first conveyor unit and the downstream part conveyor unitforming the second conveyor unit, a downstream product support end ofthe first part conveyor unit and an adjoining upstream product supportend of the second conveyor unit being movable transversely to theconveyor direction.
 4. A conveyor system in accordance with claim 3wherein the downstream product support end of the first part conveyorunit and the upstream product support end of the second conveyor unitare movable in opposite senses.
 5. A conveyor system in accordance withclaim 3 wherein a width of the first movable part conveyor unit isnarrower than a width of the second conveyor unit.
 6. A conveyor systemin accordance with claim 5 wherein the width of the first movable partconveyor unit is substantially the same as the width of the conveyorunit preceding it; and wherein a width of the second conveyor unit is atleast substantially the same as a width of the third conveyor unit.
 7. Aconveyor system in accordance with claim 1 wherein a width of the firstconveyor unit amounts to approximately 40 to 60% of a width of thesecond conveyor unit.
 8. A conveyor system in accordance with claim 1wherein the conveyor units comprise multi-element strip conveyors.
 9. Aconveyor system for transferring at least one linear inlet stream ofsliced food products to an outlet stream which is laterally offset withrespect to the inlet stream, the conveyor comprising a first conveyorfor receiving the sliced food products, a second conveyor adjoining thefirst conveyor, having a width transverse to a conveying direction ofthe conveyor system which is greater than a width of the first conveyor,an upstream end of the second conveyor receiving sliced food productsfrom a downstream end of the first conveyor and being movable relativethereto in a direction transverse to the conveying direction, adownstream end of the second conveyor being stationary, and a thirdconveyor for receiving sliced food products from the downstream end ofthe second conveyor.